The Problem with Big Tech: 4 Takeaways from Reshma Saujani, Founder of Girls Who Code

Last week we attended the Women Impact Tech Accelerate Conference to network with tech-obsessed attendees and learn from some of the women leading the charge. 

One of these women, Reshma Saujani, Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, sat down with New York Times Reporter Steve Lohr for a fireside chat that covered hiring discrimination, issues with paid leave, AI built without women in mind, imposter syndrome, and so much more. 

Saujani’s passionate delivery captivated the room, which was filled with twenty-something women in tech who hung on her every word, snapped pictures and videos as one would a celebrity, and cheered between each of Saujani’s eloquent and spirited responses. 

It’s no wonder these women look up to Saujani. As the daughter of refugees, she worked tooth and nail for the American dream, eventually becoming a lawyer, an activist, and New York City’s Deputy Public Advocate. 

While running for Congress and visiting schools, she noticed a gender gap in computing classes, which sparked the idea for Girls Who Code. The non-profit has now provided computer science education to 300,000+ girls and was named “Most Innovative Non-Profit” by Fast Company in 2019.

It is clear that much of Saujani’s success is rooted in her self-assured nature and firm determination to create change for women, especially for mothers and those from immigrant backgrounds. 

The following four points from the activist and extraordinaire’s keynote lend insight into Big Tech’s systemic issues: 

1. Men own most of the tech economy.

It is no secret that the future is digital. Currently, the technology industry makes up approximately 10% of total GDP in the United States, making it the economy’s largest sector aside from government and manufacturing.

Right now, men are the ones reaping most of the financial benefits. The industry's key players are computer scientists – a group composed of 78% men and 22% women. Saujani aims to close that gap through computer science programming made with girls, especially girls with imposter syndrome, in mind.

“It is so baked into our DNA to think that we are not adequate– when, in fact, we might even be more qualified than our male peers. Unlike men, we had to fight to be in the room,” said Saujani.

Saujani's organization not only helps girls build confidence, but also gives them the tools to build generational wealth. Girls Who Code alumni are get stake in technology enterprises that shape the future of the economy and the world, allowing them to build the financial foundation to support generations of women after them. 

2. The structure of care is broken.

“As a percentage of the female population, the number of employed workers has slowed, especially after COVID,” said Saujani. 

She went on to explain how people of color in blue collar jobs are driven into poverty due to a lack of parental leave and accessible childcare. Either the parents themselves have to leave jobs to take care of children or, often, eldest daughters have to stay home with their siblings rather than pursue higher education.

“Companies have to start providing childcare and leave as basic needs, since the government is not doing it,” explained Saujani. 

Without a structure of care that is sustainable, there can never be true equity. In fact, since March of 2020, women have been providing childcare at three times the rate of men, leaving them with much less time to dedicate to professional development.

3. Hiring discrimination is real and happening every day.

In a survey of 1000 alumni of Girls Who Code, half of respondents reported having a negative experience while applying for a tech job or knowing someone who had. 

This makes the gender gap in the computer science profession two-fold: not enough women are studying computer science (CS) due to social anxieties. And those who do study CS have a harder time finding work at a company that truly values them.

For many organizations, Saujani told the crowd, “...women are a nice-to-have and not a need-to-have. Women of color especially do not feel welcome, or feel that they can thrive. [Tech companies are] a boy’s club. So many male CEOs bring in their friends and do not look at merit. If technology companies recruited like college football teams, based on talent, we would not have a problem.”

Despite gaps in hiring, women are thriving when it comes to performance. Gender-diverse tech teams are 73% better at making business decisions, and gender-diverse companies are 25% more likely to boast above-average profitability. To Saujani’s point, tech organizations that are not hiring women in proportion to men certainly cannot blame performance standards.

4. Technology designed without women’s input is dangerous.

As a regular wearer of large hoop earrings, Saujani noted that airpods were clearly not designed with the signature look in mind. The hoops clink against the earphones with each step.

As a more serious example, Uber implemented an in-app “Emergency Button” in 2019, only after nearly 6,000 cases of sexual assault and misconduct in 2017 and 2018. 

“If women were more involved at the start of Uber we would have made sure that button was there from the very beginning,” she said.

In the case of Amazon’s Alexa, perpetrators of domestic violence actually use the technology as a surveillance and communication tool. The smart speakers allow users to connect remotely and use the device as an intercom. 

These examples begged the question from Saujani, “If a company is built without us, can it really change?”

Are you a woman in tech or know someone who is? We want to know what you think. Reach out to us at ccwomen@cmpteam.com.